CHIPS Articles: U.S. Navy History and Week in Review

July 16, 1862: Congress established the rank of Rear Admiral, with David G. Farragut named as the first in the role.

July 19, 1812: The USS Constitution, under the command of Capt. Isaac Hull, escapes the British squadron on a three-day chase off the coast of New Jersey.

Navy to Commission New First-In-Class Aircraft Carrier Gerald R. Ford — The Navy will commission its newest aircraft carrier, the future USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), during a 10 a.m. EDT ceremony Saturday, July 22, at Naval Station Norfolk. USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) is the lead ship of the new Gerald R. Ford class of aircraft carrier, the first new class in more than 40 years and will begin the phased replacement of Nimitz-class carriers when the ship is commissioned. CVN 78 honors the 38th president of the United States and pays tribute to his lifetime of service in the Navy, in the U.S. government and to the nation.

A Look at USS Constitution’s 2015-2017 Dry Docking and Restoration — USS Constitution, America’s Ship of State, entered the Charlestown Navy Yard’s Dry Dock 1 the night of May 18, 2015 for a 26-month dry docking and restoration period. Over the course of the past two years the ship restorers and riggers of the Naval History & Heritage Command Detachment Boston and teams of USS Constitution crew accomplished several important projects that will preserve and extend the life of “Old Ironsides”, the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world. The ship will be undocked the night of July 23rd.

CNO Holds Initial Call with New Chinese Counterpart — Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. John Richardson held a video teleconference (VTC), July 20 with Vice Adm. Shen Jinlong, People's Liberation Army (Navy) Commander. The leaders discussed bilateral naval engagements as well as recent missile tests by North Korea. During the hour long call, Richardson stressed the importance of regional maritime security and the need for China and the U.S. to work together to address the provocative and unacceptable military behavior by North Korea.

Navy Medical Research Lab in Cambodia Receives Award for Supporting Public Health — Officers and staff from the U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 2 (NAMRU 2) accepted the Cambodian Royal Order of Monisaraphon for their assistance in capacity building related to three Cambodia hospitals, July 7. Charge d'Affaires U.S. Embassy Phnom Penh Julie Chung and Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) Asia Commanding Officer Capt. Marshall Monteville attended the award ceremony hosted by the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) to honor the contributions of NAMRU 2's officers and staff in supporting the Ream Naval Base Clinic, the Preah Ket Mealea Military Hospital, and the Samdach Decho Hun Sen Sraem Military Hospital.

Land Sailors Prepare Guam WWII Sites for Memorial Service — Seventy Sailors assigned to submarine tender USS Emory S. Land (AS 39) participated in a community relations event to prepare World War II massacre sites for a memorial service in Merizo, Guam, July 14. Land Sailors cleaned and painted the Tinta and Faha massacre sites in preparation for Saturday's memorial service to honor Merizo residents who were massacred 73 years ago on July 15 and 16, days before the liberation of Guam.

Yellow Shirts: Setting the Tone for the Flight Deck — Sailors who work on the flight deck of USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) wear different color jerseys to indicate their job and position. But one color stands out among them in a place of prestige, and that is the yellow jersey. To wear this coveted color, a Sailor must earn the aircraft director qualification. Those personnel work in the ship's air department and specifically handle and maneuver aircraft.

These stories originally published by Navy News Service during July 17-21, 2017. For more Navy news, go to: www.navy.mil/.

USS Constitution entered Dry Dock 1 in the Charlestown Navy Yard the night of May 18, 2015, for the start of a 26-month restoration. Dry Dock 1 is the second oldest operational naval dry dock in the U.S. Photo by James Almeida Naval History & Heritage Command Detachment Boston.

ARABIAN GULF (April 29, 2017) Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) 1st Class Eric Ballard signals an aircraft aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77). George H.W. Bush is deployed in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in support of maritime security operations designed to reassure allies and partners, and preserve the freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce in the region. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Matt Matlage.

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